Bronze statuette of a young man

Etruscan, about 500-480 BC
From Pizzidimonte near Prato, Tuscany, Italy

A young man wearing a typically Etruscan cloak

The skill of Etruscan bronze-smiths is shown both in the very
few large-scale sculptures that have survived and in the much more
frequent smaller figurines. Like their larger counterparts, these
small bronzes were often dedicated to the gods at sanctuaries in
anticipation of, or in gratitude for, favours received by
worshippers. Some represent deities, others mortals, and in many
cases they must be intended to show the dedicator.

The archaic style of this statuette shows influences from East
Greek sculpture, and perhaps also from Athens. There is a certain
stiffness in the young man's pose, but the figurine is finely
delineated and technically accomplished. The right hand may be
extended in a gesture of prayer. The youth wears the typical
Etruscan bordered cloak known as the tebenna. Like the
Roman toga, this was shaped like a segment of a circle, and
therefore had a characteristically curving lower edge. He also
wears high boots with pointed toes.